Read with Aesop’s
The Holliston Reporter is pleased to present its readers with a new monthly column by one of our advertisers, our own independent bookstore Aesop’s Fable.
March Selection: Fast Girls by Elise Hooper
March is Women’s History Month, a time to highlight and celebrate the accomplishments and achievements of women in our country. This, and the fact that we are still basking in the excitement of last month’s Olympics, make Fast Girls by Elise Hooper the perfect book to pick up this month. Fast Girls is a novel that tells the story of the trailblazing women who paved the way for female Olympic athletes. The story follows three real life members of the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team in 1936, when women were just beginning to compete. Betty Robinson, Louise Stokes and Helen Stephens are each inspiring in their own right, overcoming sexism, racism and their own personal struggles to claim their spot on the team.
‘These three athletes will join with others to defy society’s expectations of what women can achieve. As tensions bring the United States and Europe closer and closer to the brink of war, Betty, Louise, and Helen must fight for the chance to compete as the fastest women in the world amidst the pomp and pageantry of the Nazi-sponsored 1936 Olympics in Berlin’
Fans of historical fiction will love this well researched story of hard work, perseverance, camaraderie and grit set against a tense political landscape in Hitler’s Germany and alongside the memorable performance of Jessie Owens.
As an added ‘local’ bonus, Brook Doire, a Holliston Middle School specialist teacher, is the granddaughter of Betty Robinson (the first female U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist in track and field events). Betty’s story is particularly inspirational. In 1931, she was severely injured in a plane crash. Initially, she wasn’t expected to survive, then she was told she wouldn’t walk. In 1936 she proved everybody wrong by not only qualifying for the Olympics, but also bringing home a medal. A wonderful story of never giving up on your dreams and working hard to achieve them. Brook carries on her grandmother’s legacy by giving presentations to teachers and students about resilience, determination, and the pursuit of a seemingly impossible goal.
We hope you will read with us this month! Fast Girls will be 10% off at Aesop’s Fable during the month of March.
